


Clementine the Sun

by neru_nerd7



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neru_nerd7/pseuds/neru_nerd7
Summary: High school AU for The Walking Dead by  Telltale because I need more Clouis content. Title pending, mature content will come later. If this seems identical to another fanfiction on Wattpad, it's because I'm the author and I'm reuploading it here because I like AO3 better than Wattpad.
Relationships: Carley/Lee Everett, Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Seeing the Sun

_Closed for cleaning, Piano 3 meeting in the gymnasium._

Louis' jaw dropped when he saw the sign on the door. He was already late; now he would have to rush to the gym. Scoffing and whipping out his phone as he stomped off, he looked for an email from his instructor. Sure enough, there it was, unread in his inbox. "Mr. Ericson is gonna kill me," he sighed. "The keyboards better have some decent headphones plugged in." 

Trudging into the gym, he found the rest of his class tapping away at plastic keyboards with headphones (thank fuck), practicing chords and arrangements. But the basketball and martial arts teams were practicing so loud in the gym that Louis wondered if he'd blow out his hearing trying to block out the noise. His class had been shoved into a corner next to the door, right where the cold winter air leaked into the room, and Louis hugged himself as he walked over. Despite the noise, his teacher noticed him sneaking to a spare keyboard. "Mr. Hammond!" he bellowed. "I see you bothered to show up to the first class of the new term!" 

"Well, see, a certain dinosaur decided to use emails instead of academic reminder apps, like most teachers do!" 

"That's enough lip out of you, young man. Get to your keyboard!" Louis rolled his eyes at the hypocrite and began to make his way over when a shout distracted him. Reacting to the source, Louis watched a girl from the martial arts club throw a larger boy to the mat. She stood over him, her eyes ablaze. 

"Wanna try and grab me like that again?" she taunted. The instructor quickly dragged her away as she fought, her curly brown hair threatening to fly loose from her lopsided bun. She looked like the sun, ready to burst free and burn the entire room down. Completely entranced, Louis promptly tripped over his own foot. With a whoop and a theatrical leap forward, he fell flat on his face. 

As the rest of his class laughed at him (even the teacher struggled to hold back a snide chortle), his eyes only watched her as he stood, hoping she hadn't noticed. But she had seen the whole thing, and despite the instructor doing her best to give her a strict tongue-lashing, she gave Louis a sympathetic smile. Normally, he would have been royally embarrassed, but seeing her snap back to focus to pay attention to her scolding, Louis found himself proud to have given her a moment of relief. As he finally sat down to his keyboard, he found his burning cheeks more than sufficient against the door's cold draft.


	2. Partner Projects

Clementine stepped into her third period history class, instantly surveying the room for familiar faces. She'd need some to survive a class taught by her adoptive father, who by now had no doubt heard of her scuffle during first period. Sure enough, there he was, glued to the whiteboard and scribbling notes. She winced instinctively and snuck to an open seat, trying not to be noticed. Knowing she couldn't avoid him forever, she wondered how he would react; would he be proud for standing up for herself, or would he scold her for not finding a peaceful solution? She was so consumed with worry that she hardly noticed the glances between her and the teacher, nor did she hear their whispers. It wasn't exactly a secret that he'd adopted her, after all. Clementine _did_ see the guy who'd tripped over himself by the pianos. He already looked as bored as the other slackers, until he saw her. Then he stared. _What's_ his _deal?_ Clementine thought. 

As soon as the bell rang, Lee swiftly swung around to face his students. "Alright, class, let's get right to it. Gotta start the new term strong. There should be a syllabus on everyone's desk; please raise your hand if you do not have one." His eyes glanced over his students, but he did not make eye contact with Clementine. She breathed a sigh of relief in the moment, but knew it would only be worse later. She read through the syllabus with everyone else in a daze. 

Going over the syllabus ended up taking half of the period. "Now that that's out of the way," Lee announced, "We'll finish class with a short activity. I want you all to partner up and learn about each other's history, or relation to historical events, and then introduce each other to the class. We're going to be doing a lot of group projects this semester, and I don't want anybody feeling left out. You have ten minutes." Clementine watched as Lee returned to his desk, then watched as everybody partnered up. She slumped over on her desk, knowing full well no one would partner up with the teacher's daughter. 

"Hey, is this seat taken?" 

Almost jumping in surprise, Clementine looked up in to see the one face besides Lee's that she recognized. "Um... no, it's not." 

"Are... _you_ taken?" Clementine's eyes widened in response, until the boy realized what he'd said. "Uh, I mean, as a partner! The activity partner! Because, um, as you can see, I am... partnerless. In terms of the activity." 

Clementine blinked before laughing, feeling some of her stress fade away. "No, I'm not taken. Have a seat." 

"Oh, uh, cool. That's cool. Really cool." The boy shot her a smart grin and pulled an empty desk close to hers. "So, tough girl, if I'm going to introduce you, I need a name." 

"'Tough girl,' huh? Is that why you were staring at me?" She'd asked as a joke, but was secretly trying to assess his opinion of her, and if he'd be trouble. 

The boy dramatically pressed his hands to his heart. "You got me. I can't seem to pull my eyes away from you. So it's actually your fault that I fell on my face like a total dolt." He grinned at her. Definitely not a malicious character. 

Feeling assured, Clementine laughed again. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you did. I could've used a little cheering up." 

"Glad to be of service! You can repay me by giving me your name." He was trying to get the activity done. Maybe he wasn't a slacker after all. Clementine wasn't fond of people who didn't care. 

That aside, he'd asked her a question. "Oh, right. It's Clementine, Hutchison. And yours?" 

"Louis Hammond; the pleasure is yours." He attempted to bow in his desk, earning yet another laugh from Clementine. 

"Are you always this charming?" 

"Well, yes. Are you always so adept at throwing people?" 

"I am when their hands stray off bounds." 

Louis winced. "Yikes. Yeah, that's what it sounded like. You really got in trouble for throwing him?" 

"Yeah, Ms. Lakin said I could've really hurt him since he wasn't prepared. But it looked like she wanted to beat the guy, too." 

"I see where you get your tough streak from." 

Clementine laughed. She liked being called tough. "No, she just trains it. I've always been tough." _I've had to be._

"So I'll add that to the history card?" Louis waggled his pencil between his fingers. 

Clementine scoffed. "God, please, no. Tell me about your history first, piano boy." 

"Ah... um..." Louis lost all of his wit within a second of the question. 

Clementine immediately softened. "Rough past?" 

"Um... in a sense, I guess. You probably wouldn't get it." 

"No, I would. You probably heard already." Moment of truth. Would he judge her for this? 

"Heard what?' 

Oh. What? "About me and Mr. Everett?" 

"About what? Are you two... like..." Louis' eyes widened in surprise. 

"Like... he adopted me?" 

"Oh! Oh, yeah, you know what, that makes a hell of a lot more sense." 

"I... don't even want to know what you were thinking." 

"No, no you don't. So... adoptive. That means..." 

Clementine had gotten used to telling the story. "They were murdered when I was in first grade. They had gone on a business trip and... never came home." 

Louis paled, leaning back in his seat. "Damn... that is... a million times worse than me. I can't even begin to think-" 

"It's okay, you don't have to. Let's just... leave our tragic backstories out of it. We do have to announce these to the whole class, after all." Clementine tried to smile, but it was difficult with the pained look on Louis' face. 

"Well... it's very poor tact to be asking you personal questions like that right off the bat. Hardly makes me a charming gentleman. Can I make up for it with coffee and donuts after school?" 

"Are you... asking me out?" 

"Um... ye- ow! Agh, bit my tongue..." As Louis covered his mouth and comically writhed in pain, Clementine couldn't help but laugh for the fifth time that day. Something about him brought out a sunny side of her that she hadn't felt in years. 

So, as dejection began to sink in his eyes, she nodded. "Okay, I'll bite. I mean- shit, sorry, that was a bad choice of words. Yes, I'll meet you for coffee after school." 

"Gah... w-wait, really? Because I totally thought you were laughing at me just now." Louis' dejected eyes now glowed like a puppy dog's, having completely forgotten about the pain. 

"Yeah, it sounds like fun. You're definitely fun. I just gotta let Lee know." 

"Lee? Oh, you mean Mr. Everett. Right, of course..." Louis glanced at the teacher and took a double take. "... Um, I think he already knows. He's glaring holes in my skull right now." Clementine whipped her head around to see Lee quickly turn to his computer, as if he hadn't been protectively listening in on their conversation. Clementine smiled, glad that Lee was acknowledging her at least a little despite his anger. As she turned to complete the activity with Louis, however, she decided she'd deal with her father later.


	3. Coffee Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey forgive me if i sound awkward talking about drugs, i never did them when i was in high school so i'm completely uneducated in terms of how people talk about them. classic nerd amirite

Louis shivered as he waited anxiously at the school's back door, looking around for Clementine. He wished he'd had time to trade phone numbers with her. He glanced at his screen to relieve some of the tension and saw a text from his father. 

_I don't mind you going out, but be sure to be back in time for dinner and homework._

Well, that didn't help. In Louis' opinion, a senior shouldn't have had to ask for permission to stay out after school in the first place. Louis scowled and shoved his phone in his pocket. Looking up, he finally spotted Clementine approaching him with a smile. All of his anxiety melted away at the sight of her, until he remembered how difficult it might be to court her. Nonetheless, he put on a wide grin and found himself walking towards her. "My sun has returned to my world!" 

She stopped dead in her tracks, confusion lifting her brow. "Your sun?" 

"Yeah, because... um... you remind me of the sun." 

"Oh really?" Clementine crossed her arms with a satisfied smirk. 

"Yeah..." Aaaand he'd already dropped the ball. Perfect. Time to get a move on. "So, coffee?" Louis began leading the way and Clementine matched her step with his. 

"I'm hoping you know a good place." 

"Yeah, the hottest hangout near here. Just a short walk through the woods and down the road." 

"Through the woods? Don't people, like... smoke pot there?" 

"Nah, not this close to the school. That's where people meet up to go somewhere else and smoke pot." She laughed at that, but in truth, some people did smoke pot there. They were the addicts who got caught the most. Choosing not to tell her about that, Louis began to lead her through the parking lot to the woods. 

"Do you smoke?" she asked tentatively, yet her loaded question sounded surprisingly neutral. 

"Well, I'll bum a joint once at a party, but not besides that." Unless it was a bad night. Then he'd go to the drink before adding some of his own herb. 

"And how often do you party?" 

Louis tried to strike a pose while walking. "Oh, I rage every night, baby." 

Clementine laughed once again; that carefree laugh. "You know, somehow I have a hard time believing that." 

Louis decided honesty might be the best policy with her. "Well, okay, not every night, but I do what I can get away with. Which, unfortunately, isn't much." 

"Careful, don't let Mr. Everett catch you talking about your wild parties." 

"Rats, I guess that means I can't invite you," he joked. 

Clementine was silent for a moment as she stared straight ahead. "... I wouldn't say that." 

He was genuinely surprised at her tenacity. "Oh, really? Daredevil, huh?" 

"Shut up," she said with a laugh, shoving him lightly. 

Louis smiled at her as they made it to the woods. "No, I wouldn't invite you anyway. I can tell it's not your scene." 

"You think I'm not tough enough?" Clementine crossed her arms, mock indignance in her voice. 

"Nah, you're tougher than all the guys there combined. I'd trash talk _everybody_ having you there to back me up." 

Clementine rolled her eyes. "What is it, then?" 

"You're too smart for that." And she'd light the entire place on fire, like how she lit up the world whenever she appeared. 

Silence again. "... Oh." Louis looked back at her, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "I've never heard that from someone... my age." 

"Really? You're like, radiating intelligence. I guess only the adults are smart enough to pick up on it." 

Clementine laughed. "No, they just have too much faith in me. You, for example, I just can't figure out. Are you a slacker or a nerd?" 

"See, I'm in that sweet spot where I'm smart enough to see how smart you are and dumb enough to go to dumb parties." Louis popped his collar for flair and immediately smoothed it back down. That had worked before, after all. 

"Sounds like a great place to be." Her laugh sounded like leaves slowly settling on the ground. 

As they walked, a voice piped up from beside the path. "Hey Lou, finally got yourself a hot date, huh?" 

"Beat it, Mitch, there be a lady in our midst." 

Clementine laughed. "You won't be saying that for long. Wait until I order." 

Louis took a moment to flip off Mitch, knowing full well who he would report to later, before returning his focus to the devilish damsel beside him. "Oh, yeah? Speaking of which, it's on me. I don't wanna hear anything about splitting the bill." 

"I'm not protesting; babysitting only pays so much. It's your money, anyway." 

Louis shrugged gallantly. "What can I say? If you're a lady, then your escorting gentleman must show his best hospitality." 

"Yeah, say that once we get inside..." Clementine shivered, hunching over and pulling her backpack higher. 

"Just a couple blocks away, my dear." Proudly smiling at the resulting dust of pink on her cheeks, Louis continued to crack jokes with her until they reached the cafe. "So, Clementine, what's your poison?" 

Clementine looked directly into his eyes and, with a completely straight face, uttered her choice. "Two espresso shots." 

"... Just that?" 

"As bitter as you can get it." 

"No... no sugar at all?" 

"Never." 

Louis stared at the goddess before him, unable to comprehend how she could possibly stand such a bitter taste. "If... if this is a trick to impress me, it's totally working, but it's so gonna bite you in the ass when I watch you choke on the taste!" The two of them burst out laughing. 

Once they calmed down, Clementine smirked. "Don't worry, I can handle it. I like the bite." 

"Damn..." For the first time in his life, Louis had no words. That in itself was sexy enough. So, when it came time to order, he did not poke fun at Clementine with the cashier the way he normally would at his friends. Instead, he only beamed at his sunshine girl, endlessly so until they sat at a table with their coffee. Louis sipped his cappuccino, savoring the cinnamon and sweetener before training his eyes on Clementine once again. Clementine would prove her words right in front of him with a cocky grin. She not only drank her espresso without a problem, she downed half the cup. Louis stared in shock. "Damn," he repeated. 

"Are you not entertained?" Clementine crossed her legs and threw her arms up in a gesture of grandeur. Louis, rendered speechless by her daring drink and her theatrics, took another sip of his cappuccino, this time taking in too much and burning his tongue. As he spluttered and scrambled for something to soothe his mouth, Clementine laughed the hardest she had laughed that day. "Hold on, I'll ask for a small glass of milk. It's on me." 

"No, waith, I don'th need ith!" But she had already stood up. Louis sighed and slumped in his chair, finally dumping a small carton of creamer into his mouth. He had never felt so... small before. Like a child. But at the same time, he hadn't cared this much before about how another person perceived him. 

When Clementine came back, he begrudgingly sipped the milk, but began chugging it down once he realized the relief it provided. "Wow, I didn't think that would work." 

"Lee taught me that water makes it worse and milk soothes mouth burns better. His ex-wife used to be a waitress and always got milk for people who thought they could handle spicy foods." 

"Ex-wife?" 

"Um..." Clementine looked away. "He doesn't really like talking about it." Touchy subject; time for a change. _Here goes._

"So, as you know, there's more to this coffee date than just coffee and my dashing good jokes." 

"Like hurting your tongue a second time?" 

"No, but thank you for reminding me of the second time I made an ass of myself in front of you." 

"How could I forget? It made me laugh." She laughed just recalling it. 

Louis scoffed. "You can't remember everything that makes you laugh, you do it all the time. You're laughing now!" 

Clementine scoffed right back at him, her laughter abruptly coming to a halt. "My life isn't exactly a comedy show. All I do is study, practice forms, and babysit. And I love the little goofball, but I think today is the most I've laughed... in a long time." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't really think I can stop myself from having fun if you're around." 

Louis' jaw dropped. Just a bit. "I never would have guessed. Maybe I should have, being raised by a teacher and all. " Clementine rolled her eyes, so he cracked a grin. "That's the second time today you've bared your soul to me. This is either really good bonding or a really bad date." 

Clementine crossed her arms and matched her grin to his. "Well, piano man, maybe it's your turn to do the soul-baring." 

Louis groaned. "Do I have to?" 

"Depends. Do you prefer good bonding or bad date?" 

Louis laughed. "You got me; that's a good point. Well, my only problem is that my parents and I fight a lot. I mean, my mom tries, I guess, but my dad... sees the world very differently from me. They want a future for me that I just never wanted. Taking over the family business. Learning finances and management and whatever. I just want to be a musician. And after hearing about what happened to you... I feel so stupid for hating them." 

Clementine silently regarded him before responding. "They let you take piano though, right?" 

"Yeah, so I would finally shut up. Didn't stop the house from being any less suffocating, so I try to be out as much as possible." 

"Thus, the parties." 

"Bingo. Not that they notice." 

Louis braced himself for a bad reaction, but Clementine just reached for his hand, simply resting her fingers on top of his. "I don't think you should feel stupid for that." 

"Really?" Louis raised his eyebrows. 

"Yeah. Every single person I've ever met is the same way. They fight with their parents, and then they feel bad for me. Truth be told... I probably would've fought with my parents too. I fight with Lee, sometimes, but I try to follow his rules. We have a good relationship most of the time." Clementine sat back and took her cup in her hand. "I have a lot of... conflicting thoughts about my life and my parents. I'm not exactly proud of them. It helps sometimes to hear about fights in other families, I guess. I don't know why, but it's comforting. Sorta like I can pretend to be in their shoes. Is that... weird?" 

As Clementine gazed into her drink, Louis quietly watched her. She wasn't watching him, but she was paying attention. His next words would matter. "Yeah, it's probably weird." Clementine looked up in shock, and Louis raised his cup. "Welcome to the club. To being freaks?" He put on his most sincere cocky grin. 

Clementine smiled and lightly tapped her cup to his. "To being freaks." As they downed their drinks, Louis sighed in relief and returned to his regularly scheduled joking and flirting for the rest of the date.

**Author's Note:**

> wow chapters look a lot longer than they actually are on wattpad huh


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